Dear John……
I’m sorry. It’s over. We’re breaking up. I’m leaving you for someone else. Someone who understands me, looks after me, considers my needs and is capable of being more personal, more intimate.
They’re there for me when – and how – I need them. They’re simple and straightforward, completely different to the awkward, fiddly moments you and I have together. They just let me connect on another level.
Goodbye.
According to Forbes Insights with Google research, as many as one-in-four IT decision makers leave websites not formatted for mobile straight away and three out of four executives say a bad mobile experience makes them less likely to engage with the brand. In other words B2B brands all over the world are breaking up with the people they love most: their customers.
But it doesn’t have to be this way…..
Virtually all of us now exhibit hardwired, mass market mobile behaviours that simply didn’t exist as recently as two years ago.
We wake up differently
We commute differently
We work differently
We shop differently
Individuals are completely altering the habits of daily interaction with their mobile devices. This change is so fundamental that to just view mobile as part of ‘digital’ is missing the point. What’s needed is a shift in the strategic mindset – way beyond email formats, responsive design and the odd app.
Consider the typical in-built features of a mobile and how these alone could impact B2B marketing techniques. With cameras, facial recognition, scanning, global positioning, accelerometers and gyroscopes coming as standard in many smart phones, a new world of possibilities start to open up for clever marketers.
And with a wealth of analytics and behavioural insights, we can easily start the process of getting the relationship back on track, avoiding sloppy assumptions and increasing the chance of relevancy, immediacy and more personalised moments. Putting the ones you love first is essential in creating meaningful mobile moments.
And they all lived happily ever after
With so much statistical and empirical evidence in plain sight it’s interesting that in 2013 only 37% of B2B marketers had mobile as part of their plans. With the tidal wave of momentum behind mobile I am sure the 2014 numbers will show positive change, however one could argue that as an industry B2B marketing is behind the curve of meeting the demands of customers when it comes to mobile.
In B2B it can be hard for enterprise organisations to make a cultural or strategic shift that is led by customer demand and insight rather than what can be built or produced.
Wouldn’t it be great to be a mobilized brand that can immediately provide solutions that react and respond to customers in real-time and eventually predict their needs. The ultimate, attentive, sensitive partner. The Don Juan of marketing.
In 2015 don’t be afraid of taking some calculated risks. Even though mobile is an evolving medium, there is enough proof to show its power and impact. New endeavours have a way of energising teams and giving shared purpose. Find the areas of the business to pilot mobile, embrace the odd failure and then share success stories and cutting-edge learnings that breed excitement and galvanize groups into action.
Start taking some small steps to ultimately make sure you take care of the ones you love x
Jason Talbot will be presenting at the #B2BCONF. Look out for #B2Bmobileromance
@crocbites
